A CLOSER LOOK AT OCTOBER’S
TWO DEAD WIVES
By Adele Parks
Lost. Missing. Murdered? How do you find a woman who didn’t exist?
THE BOOK
In this explosive thriller, international bestseller Adele Parks, author of 22 acclaimed novels with millions of copies sold, examines what it is to be a family and the dangerous lengths that people will go to for those they love. Fans of Colleen Hoover and Gillian Flynn will feel right at home in Two Dead Wives.
A woman with a shocking secret is missing, and presumed dead. And her two husbands are suspects in her murder.
DCI Clements knows the dark side of human nature and that love can make people do treacherous things. You can’t presume anything when it comes to crimes of the heart. Until a body is found, this scandalous and sad case remains wide open.
Stacie Jones lives a quiet life in a small village, nursed by her father as she recovers from illness, and is shielded from any news of the outside world. But their reclusive life is about to be shattered. How are Clements and Stacie linked? Can any of them ever rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy?
THE AUTHOR
Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000, and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages. She’s been an ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa Book Awards, and is a keen supporter of The National Literary Trust. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, son and cat.
SHADOWS WE CARRY
By Meryl Ain
A story of old scars and family secrets set amidst the chaos of WWII
THE BOOK
Enlightening and evocative, Shadows We Carry by Meryl Ain explores the experience of navigating deeply held family secrets and bloodlines, confusing religious identities, and the scars of World War II in the wake of revolutionary societal changes. In an era marked by heavy geo-political tensions and the healing of societal divides, this book is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy intrigue and subterfuge as well as meaningful historical lessons that can be applied to the present day.
In this eagerly anticipated sequel to Meryl Ain’s award-winning post-Holocaust novel The Takeaway Men, we follow Bronka and JoJo Lubinski as they find themselves on the cusp of momentous change for women in the late 1960s. With the United States in the grip of political and social upheaval, the twins and a number of their peers, including a Catholic priest and the son of a Nazi, struggle with their family’s ancestry and how much influence it has on their lives. Meanwhile, both young women seek to define their roles as women, and as individuals.
Shadows We Carry received a Silver Medal for Historical Fiction in the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards.
THE AUTHOR
Meryl Ain’s articles and essays have appeared in Huffington Post, The New York Jewish Week, Kveller, The New York Times, Newsday and other publications. In 2014, she co-authored the award-winning book, The Living Memories Project: Legacies That Last, and in 2016, wrote a companion workbook, My Living Memories Project Journal. She is a sought-after speaker and has been interviewed on television, radio, and podcasts. She is a career educator and is proud to be both a teacher and student of history. She has also worked as a school administrator.
Meryl holds a BA from Queens College, an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an Ed.D. from Hofstra University. She lives in New York with her husband, Stewart. They have three married sons and six grandchildren.
LOOK’N UP INVASION
By Janice Carr Smith
A thrilling fantasy adventure centered around cultural conflict
THE BOOK
Science fiction and fantasy stories are often grand and out of this world, involving epic quests against great forces of evil, however, the heroes aren’t typically farmers from California.
Traditional notions of science fiction and fantasy will be subverted in Janice Carr Smith’s debut novel, Look’N Up Invasion. The cast of heroes is an alien race of pomegranate farmers adapting to — and trying to save — a strange new world.
Smith’s characters are challenged as their worldviews are changed by the people they meet. This fantasy is at once thrilling and thought-provoking, exploring real-world issues of racism and sexism, religion and theocracy — all while retaining what makes fantasy fun, the impending threat of alien monsters.
While fighting the deadly predators that have been slowly decimating their population, the alien royal family of an isolated, primitive world is accidentally transported to the Look’N Up Pomegranate Ranch in modern-day California, where they are hired as immigrant farm workers by an empathetic human family. Guided by empathy, the two families explore each other’s cultures in a richly woven story of religion vs. science; theocracy vs. democracy; women’s rights; racism; otherization; castigation, and the shocking psychological effects of living in a world with no otherwhere.
THE AUTHOR
Janice Carr Smith was raised by liberal parents in the ’60s in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a short hike from Harvard Square. As a kid, she liked to read, write, and act out her stories with her stuffed animals, and sometimes her brother, Charlie, while Dad’s Wurlitzer Organ buzzed the corners of the ceiling, rocking the house. Mom would be out marching for some left-wing cause or candidate.
Itching to be on her own, no longer a guest, she left campus-rich Boston for a Radio-TV-Film major at Northwestern University. After years of wandering, she married John Smith and became an Environmental Consultant, shepherding public works projects through California’s rigorous environmental compliance process, first at a private engineering firm and later for a rural county public works department in Northern California.
In 2017, Janice retired in the same county with the same husband. One day, in her garden, she started hearing voices. She looked up, and the Look’N Up was born.
LEGENDS OF ASTRÆA: CUPID’S ARROW
By Sophia Alessandrini
Can the power of love save the world? Find out in this whimsical, legend-filled fantasy
THE BOOK
A Court of Thorns and Roses meets The Lightning Thief in gripping new fantasy romance, Legends of Astræa: Cupid’s Arrow, book one in Sophia Alessandrini’s new Legends of Astræa series. In an era where Sarah J Maas and other fantasy romance authors reign supreme over the YA and fantasy landscape, Alessandrini’s new series is the perfect fit for readers looking for their next BookTok obsession.
Ailie, a gutsy girl who possesses a sharp wit and her best friend, a werewolf, embark on a quest for revenge with the help of her psychotic, warmongering, and good-hearted legal guardian. She alone can open the gates of hell just like Pandora did when she opened the box that contained all evils, but little does she know, the dark forces at play have been planning for exactly this moment.
THE AUTHOR
Sophia is a geek at heart and loves the middle ages, dragons, ghosts, fairies and superheroes. She grew up watching Star Wars and plotting a way to become a Ninja or a pink hair forest fairy. She has a fascination for Chinese Kung Fu movies and Vampire TV shows.
Sophia Alessandrini is a cum laude BS graduate in Mathematical Physics and has a degree in International Relations. She is also a Chef and loves classical music but indulges listening to Evanescence, or Billie Eilish depending on her scene writing.
WHEN THE BRAKES FAIL
By Cindy Wittstrom
A heartrending, eye-opening and empowering story of one woman’s struggle with mental illness
THE BOOK
In When the Brakes Fail, author Cindy Wittstrom tells her own unpredictable story of dealing with Bipolar illness. An illness which, for the most part, is misunderstood. In this illuminating work, readers will walk the path with her, discover her journey and gain the deeper understanding needed to help victims and their families discover a path forward. In era where awareness of mental health and illness is stronger than ever, this book is sure to resonate.
Cindy knew something was wrong, very wrong. She could not fathom where to find help. Assuming this inner chaos was a medical issue, she reached out to her physician. His advice was practically worthless, if not counterproductive.
A last resort she went to her general practitioner. Because she recently gave birth, he diagnosed her malady immediately—postpartum depression. He likened her condition to that of a runaway freight train, headed for parts unknown, moving at breakneck speed.
Twenty years later this problem has become a bipolar illness, but while her allies encircle her, she is not alone.
THE AUTHOR
Cindy Carminati Wittstrom is a fourth-generation native of California. She has three children and seven grandchildren and loves to be with all of them. Cindy has been on a fast train most of her life. She has experienced a myriad of things, including a strong family unit, supportive friends, church, and extensive travel. Her heart, however, is strongly connected to marginalized communities. As an advocate she has made, and continues to make, a tremendous difference for those in need. Over the years she has participated in many organizations, working with children and clients. She championed the causes of Loaves and Fishes (a local food bank); CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused and neglected children); American Cancer Society; Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission; ECHO (homeless shelter and services) and many afterschool programs.
ORDINARY SOIL
By Alex Woodard
A compelling story of man’s fraying relationship with the earth
THE BOOK
In Ordinary Soil, author Alex Woodard constructs a multi-layered narrative in which the characters grapple with personal struggles, family dynamics, and a shared past. Combining the isolating sprawl of the midwest with at times unnervingly pertinent social issues, Woodard’s novel will appeal to fans of thrillers and literary fiction everywhere.
Terrorized by a shadow from the past, an afflicted farmer attempts suicide under a rotting burial elm, inadvertently unearthing a dark ancestral history and exposing diseased generational roots of abandonment and abuse. A secret also waits to be discovered, deep in the ordinary soil of the Oklahoma Panhandle, that holds the redemptive power to save both the man and the land.
THE AUTHOR
Alex Woodard has toured nationally behind several critically acclaimed albums, earning a few prestigious industry nods while sharing the stage with some of his heroes. His FOR THE SENDER book, album, and concert series has earned praise from the Huffington Post (important, enlightening, and ultimately inspiring), Deepak Chopra (a beautiful tribute to the resilience of the human spirit), Dr. Wayne Dyer (an inspiring, thought-provoking, and life-changing work), Ellen DeGeneres (I. love. this.), and Billboard Magazine (one of the year’s most touching, unique releases), among others.
Alex writes, sings, and plays his way from the California coast to the mountains of Idaho, happy to share the pilgrimage with a Labrador and two horses.
